Safety/Privacy Officer

*** NOTICE OF CHANGE: This recruitment will now be closing on Tuesday, November 19th, 2024 by 4:59pm PT. ***

SALARY: $78,455.52 - $94,207.36 Annually

The County of Santa Barbara Behavioral Wellness Department is accepting applications to fill one (1) full-time Safety/Privacy Officer vacancy. This position is based in Santa Barbara; however, the selected candidate will need to travel between different operational sites within Santa Barbara County that includes Santa Barbara, Santa Maria, and Lompoc. Therefore, you must be willing to work in all of these locations. Safety/Privacy Officer is the working title for this position and encompasses the concept that the incumbent will work performing the duties of a Safety/Privacy Officer, Departmental. The County job classification associated with this title is Safety/Privacy Officer, Departmental.

We are also establishing one employment list to fill future full-time, part-time, and extra-help (temporary) and *1414 vacancies.

*1414 vacancies may occur as a result of a leave of absence (Civil Service Rule 1414) and the duration of the appointment shall be subject to the return of the individual who is on leave. A person who is appointed to a position under Civil Service Rule 1414 may be able to transition into a regular position in the classification without re-application or re-testing, depending on the performance of the appointee and the needs of the department.

THE POSITION: This position works within the Compliance branch of the Behavioral Wellness Department. The Safety/Privacy Officer reports to the Assistant Director of Compliance and Quality Care Management. Under general supervision, the Safety/Privacy officer for Behavioral Wellness will conduct and manage the implementation of various technical safety functions, oversight of departmental safety, specifically to mental health information, and uphold policies and procedures to safeguard patient confidentiality and privacy rights. The position will make inspections, investigate possible privacy breaches, conduct training, and perform duties as required.

DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS: This class serves as the designated technical safety or privacy specialist in a department(s).

The work schedule for this position will depend upon the needs of the Department.

ABOUT THE DEPARTMENT:

The County of Santa Barbara's Department of Behavioral Wellness is responsible for ensuring the provision of mental health services mandated by the State of California for children with serious emotional disturbance, adults with serious mental illness, and all Medi-Cal beneficiaries with specialty mental health needs. Behavioral Wellness also provides substance use disorder treatment services for Medi-Cal beneficiaries. Our Mission is to promote the prevention of and recovery from addiction and mental illness among individuals; families and communities by providing effective leadership and delivering state-of-the-art, culturally competent services that are guided by measurable client-specific outcomes. Behavioral Wellness annually provides treatment, rehabilitation and support services to approximately 9,800 clients (3,000 children/adolescents and 6,900 adults) with mental illness and 4,500 clients with substance use disorders. For more information, please visit: www.countyofsb.org/behavioral-wellness

The Ideal Candidate will:

1. Demonstrated ability to develop and maintain sound working relationships with people of diverse backgrounds and personalities.
2. Experience in clinical and/or managed care planning and oversight.
3. Experience managing and monitoring regulations.
4. Excellent oral and written communication skills and the ability to interact with all levels of internal and external customers.
5. Detail oriented while handling multiple projects with competing priorities.
6. Organized and prioritize work, and meet deadlines.
7. Processes, interprets and communicates complex contractual information to internal and external clients.
8. Open to change and new information, and adapt behavior and work methods in response to new information, changing conditions, and unexpected obstacles.
9. Have experience in privacy compliance within a behavioral health care setting.
10. Knowledgeable of privacy laws and regulations, HIPPA, and its implications to mental health services.
11. Informed of County policies and procedures.
12. Establishing and maintaining effective working relationships with County departments and personnel, healthcare professionals, and outside agencies.
13. Compliance and privacy experience in public sector health care, integrated behavioral health, and/or human services organizations.
14. Bilingual skills in English/Spanish is highly desirable, but not required.

• Investigates, prepares and reviews reports of injury, property damage and claims involving the department; inspects facilities, equipment, work practices and safety devices for conformance with legal requirements, reports findings and recommends changes to establish safer working conditions; makes follow up inspections to ensure compliance; meets with employees and managers to study safety problems and develop policies and procedures which will decrease the risk of injury or loss; coordinates the record keeping of industrial injuries and safety training.
• Assists with the development of departmental safety policies and procedures regarding emergency management response planning and workplace safety; reviews Federal, State and local hazardous materials handling and safety regulations and recommends policies and procedures to comply with these regulations; advises management on environmental and safety matters, laws and regulations affecting the department.
• Develops and provides individual counseling, on-site and classroom training to staff on safety practices and policies, accident prevention techniques and accident reporting; develops safety training materials and newsletters; conducts safety meetings on requirements of applicable Federal, State and local regulations.
• Serves as the departmental representative on countywide committees related to safety.

• Coordinates and leads ongoing activities related to the development, implementation and maintenance of the department(s) privacy plan and policies in accordance with applicable federal and state laws; creates and recommends an annual privacy plan and standard privacy policy and procedures.
• Establishes and administers a process for receiving, documenting, tracking, investigating and taking action on all complaints concerning the department(s) privacy policies and procedures; conducts privacy monitoring "walkthroughs;" investigates manages and mitigates privacy incidents, complaints and breaches including overseeing the notification to individuals whose private health information has been improperly disclosed and recovering disclosed private health information if possible; reviews information received in security risk assessments and implements processes to mitigate risk; reviews Information Technology system-related information security plans to ensure safeguards are in place to maintain confidentiality of personal health information; cooperates with County staff, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, California Department of Health Care Services, and/or other legal entities in compliance reviews or investigations.
• Participates in the development, implementation and ongoing compliance monitoring of all business associate agreements to ensure that all privacy concerns, requirements and responsibilities are addressed; creates and distributes notice of information/privacy practices; ensures that legally required confidentiality consent and authorization forms and information materials and notices are up-to-date and available; ensures legally required reports are completed and submitted.
• Delivers or arranges for privacy training and orientation to all employees, volunteers, business associates; serves as a resource for questions regarding the application of relevant privacy laws and regulations and privacy program policies and procedures.

Applicants must meet the employment standards (minimum qualifications) list below to be considered for this position. Detailed information should be included in the application.

1) Two years of experience in health records management, compliance or risk management; or,

2) a combination of training, education, and experience that is equivalent to the employment standard listed above and that provides the required knowledge and abilities.

Knowledge of: health information privacy laws, management of medical records, and compliance standards within the health care industry.

Ability to: analyze situations accurately and adopt timely and effective recommendations; interpret privacy laws and regulations; plan and present privacy training; communicate effectively orally and in writing, establish and maintain effective working relationships with staff, legal counsel, human resources and compliance agencies; stay abreast of changes in the law and quickly modify processes and training to meet the requirements under the law

Additional Qualifications: Possession of a valid California Class C Driver's License is required at the time of appointment. This position requires travel within the County on a weekly basis.

APPLICATION & SELECTION PROCESS:

• Review applications and supplemental questionnaire to determine those applicants who meet the employment standards.
• Supplemental Questionnaire Ranking: Candidates' response to the required supplemental questionnaire will be evaluated and autoscored. Candidates' final score and rank on the employment list will be determined by their responses to the supplemental questionnaire. This process may be eliminated if there are fewer than 11 qualified candidates.

Applicants must receive a percentage score of at least 70 on the supplemental questionnaire to be placed on an employment list. An adjustment may be made to raw scores based on factors listed in Civil Service Rule VI. Those candidates who are successful in the selection process will have their names placed on the employment list for a minimum of three months. At the time the employment list is established, all candidates will receive written notice of their score on the exam(s), rank on the employment list, and exact duration of the employment list.

CONDITIONAL JOB OFFER:

• Live Scan and Background Check: Once a conditional offer of employment has been made, the selected candidate's appointment is contingent upon successful completion of a Live Scan and background check which includes a conviction history check, and satisfactory reference checks. A Live Scan is electronic fingerprint scanning that is certified by the State Department of Justice. Further instructions about when and how to complete the Live Scan will be included in the offer letter. Appointee will be subject to a post-offer medical evaluation or examination.
• The appointee must satisfactorily complete a one-year probationary period.
• Background Investigation: Finalists for positions in this class will be required to pass a pre-offer, job-related background investigation.

Recruiters will communicate with applicant by e-mail during each step in the recruitment process. Applicants are reminded to check spam filters continuously during the Recruitment & Selection Process steps listed above to ensure they do not miss required deadlines. The County of Santa Barbara will not release any applicant's email address to a third party.

REASONABLE ACCOMODATIONS: The County of Santa Barbara is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to applicants. Qualified individuals with disabilities who need a reasonable accommodation during the application or selection process should contact the recruiter listed on the job posting. We require verification of needed accommodation from a professional source, such as a Medical Provider or a learning institution.

BENEFITS: For more information on County of Santa Barbara benefits click HERE or visit the Benefits Tab above. Additionally, applicants from other public sector employers may qualify for retirement reciprocity and time and service credit towards an advanced vacation accrual rate.

STATEMENT OF COMMITMENT
The County of Santa Barbara is dedicated to cultivating and sustaining an environment that exhibits equity and inclusion everywhere, and at all levels of our organization. The County believes equity is a fundamental principle that must be imbedded in policies, institutional practices and systems. The County recognizes the negative impacts of systemic racism and is committed to eliminating the barriers affecting our Black, Latinx, Indigenous, and Asian community members, as well as people of other diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds. We envision a world where society and its systems (e.g. education, criminal justice, and health care, housing the economy) are just, fair, and inclusive, enabling all people to participate and reach their full potential.

We celebrate community and employee diversity, strive for inclusion and belonging, and promote empowered participation. We aspire to build a workforce that is reflective of these values and the communities we serve. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer and will resolutely uphold federal, California state law and/or Santa Barbara County ordinances.

We believe equity and inclusion are vital to fulfill the County's mission and to embody a culture of "One County, One Future." Expanding the full range of employee talent allows the County to deliver our best to all our community members.

We believe in the dignity and humanity of all people. We strive for a healthy and prosperous society that promotes all people having equitable access and opportunity.